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Sorry to see you go before getting to know you Lani! I hope things in your other games go well. End of the week sounds good. I'll agree with you on trying to avoid being too tragic. You might need to check me on that because I have a tendency to skew that way with characters. In either case, I see Orlund being just as greedily ambitious as his patron, something that Imbrex seems to identify with. I like Ranalc as the fey patron of exiles though. Ng seems to be a good one for being especially mischievous. I'm still flip-flopping in the brain. I'm still kind of thinking about one of those other classes, and Oracle seems pretty cool.
Hey thanks for the invite as well! Hopefully we aren't overdoing it on the face/skill situation between the three of us, I know all of us are making charisma focused characters. I'm leaning more toward the Thaumaturge angle, but I also think the Bard would be really useful as a force multiplier with so many other PCs. The Bard might also be more useful to the party as an off-healer. In either case, I'm aiming to be a medium front-liner with high charisma and strength. The advantages of the Thaumaturge would be immediate access to medium armor and Esoteric Lore being keyed off Charisma would make Orlov a useful combat knowledge guy. With Tome, it'd be useful out of combat too. With Regalia instead, Orlov could be the de facto face. But with Mirror, Amulet, or Weapon, I'd key more into the off-melee role.
Orlov's ambition is to prove himself and gain the acceptance of the nobility. It's also possible his family's antagonizing faerie (as yet unnamed, could be a plot relevant fey) has sponsored or tasked him in some way. As another idea for more of a fey themed hook.
Initially, I had named him Orlov Surtova, but it's a name that I imagine he may have been barred from using because so the family could distance him. I'm contemplating whether he's the type of person to introduce himself that way in spite of that, or if he'd keep it secret until it becomes important. EDIT: In that vein, what do you think about an ASoIaF styled bastard name being something like 'Rivers'?
Sorry to double-post, but I've got two ideas for the character. If we need a dedicated healer instead, I might want to have a cleric of Erastil that I've got the sketchings of as well. Some general ideas about the character: 1. Orlov is disfigured, and may be literally faerie cursed to have half-orc heritage or it could just be by appearances/flavor.
2. For the "bonus fey heritage feat", obviously most people are going Fey Influence. And I think I'm okay with doing that (I'm just not sure which fey to put on there). But I'd like to put forth the idea of the Curse Maelstrom Dedication as my bonus feat situation. My inital concept for the character was that he was cursed, and his House in turn was cursed. Once that started manifesting with a decline in Surtova's political influence, he was exiled, in the hopes that the curse wouldn't further taint the house. If that's going to be too imbalanced, that's totally fine. 3. I'm imagining his particular family was sort of middle management. Not low on the totem pole, but not directly influential on Noleski Surtova. A Second cousin maybe. Or the son of Noleski's seventh child or something equally anonymous. 4. I'm thinking about a Free Archetype situation. Maybe Sentinel or Cursed Maelstrom depending on class. 5. The two below ideas are offerings at a face/skill monkey in a more melee strength oriented role. They're not final drafts, but they should be able to convey the mechanical party roles. Thaumaturge crunch:
Thaumaturge 1 | Background Kingdom Outcast N, Medium, Human, Half-Orc, Humanoid Perception +5; Low-Light Vision Languages Common Skills Acrobatics +1, Arcana +3, Athletics +6, Deception +7, Diplomacy +7, Intimidation +7, Lore: Esoteric +7, Lore: Politics +3, Nature +3, Occultism +3, Religion +3 Str +3, Dex +1, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +4 Items Breastplate, Backpack, Bedroll, Chalk (10), Flint and Steel, Rope, Rations (2), Torch (5), Waterskin, Soap AC 18; Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +5 HP 17 Speed 25 feet Melee Hatchet +6 (Agile, Sweep, Thrown 10 ft.), Damage 1d6+3 S +2Physical Exploit Vulnerability ◆ Mirror's Reflection ◆ Additional Feats Diverse Lore, Dubious Knowledge, Half-Orc, Haughty Obstinacy, Overlooked Mastermind Additional Specials Esoteric Lore, First Implement And Esoterica (Mirror), Implement's Empowerment, Mirror Initiate Benefit Thoughts on the Thaumaturge:
I'm kind of in love with the idea of a Thaumaturge now. I chose Mirror implement on a gut check because it felt ironic for a character who despises his own ugliness. I also like the idea of him with the Regalia (Some symbol of House Surtova like a worn heraldric banner, or a broken crest or circlet) to fill even more of a Face role, the Amulet, to offer some defensive support, or the Tome to make him literally more bookish and have useful knowledge outside of combat. Bard crunch:
Bard 1 | Background Kingdom Outcast N, Medium, Human, Half-Orc, Humanoid Perception +5; Low-Light Vision Languages Common Skills Acrobatics +1, Athletics +6, Deception +7, Diplomacy +7, Intimidation +7, Lore: Politics +3, Occultism +3, Performance +7, Society +3 Str +3, Dex +1, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +4 Items Studded Leather, Backpack, Bedroll, Chalk (10), Flint and Steel, Rope, Rations (2), Torch (5), Waterskin, Soap, Sling Bullets (20), Musical Instrument (Handheld), Steel Shield (Hardness 5, HP 20, BT 10) AC [b]16 (+18 with shield raised); [b]Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +5 HP 17 Speed 25 feet Melee Longsword +6 (Versatile P), Damage 1d8+3 S Melee Dagger +6 (Agile, Finesse, Thrown 10 ft., Versatile S), Damage 1d4+3 P Ranged Sling +4 (Propulsive), Damage 1d6+1 B Occult Known Spells DC 17, attack +7; 1st Charm, Bane, Soothe (2 slots); Cantrips Light, Mage Hand, Telekinetic Projectile, Guidance, Bullhorn Focus Spells (2 points) Counter Performance ↺ Area 60-foot emanation Your performance protects you and your allies. Roll a Performance check for a type you know: an auditory performance if the trigger was auditory, or a visual one for a visual trigger. You and allies in the area can use the better result between your Performance check and the saving throw. Inspire Courage ◆ Area 60-foot emanation Duration 1 round You inspire your allies with words or tunes of encouragement. You and all allies in the area gain a +1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects. Lingering Composition ◇ You add a flourish to your composition to extend its benefits. If your next action is to cast a cantrip composition with a duration of 1 round, attempt a Performance check. The DC is usually a standard-difficulty DC of a level equal to the highest-level target of your composition, but the GM can assign a different DC based on the circumstances. The effect depends on the result of your check. Critical Success The composition lasts 4 rounds. Success The composition lasts 3 rounds. Failure The composition lasts 1 round, but you don't spend the Focus Point for casting this spell. Additional Feats Half-Orc, Haughty Obstinacy, Lingering Composition, Overlooked Mastermind Additional Specials Muses (Maestro) Thoughts on Bard: This version of Orlund I envision as someone who has aspirations of becoming a tactician and has some expertise in that realm. He's a spellcaster, but I envision the Inspire Courage to be just as much inspirational words and tactical coordination as it is magical. With this version, I'd definitely want to ask for the Sentinel Dedication as my free archetype at level 2. It'd help with the sort of 4th ed Warlord vibe I'm thinking this version inhabits.
I haven't got a build nailed down, but I'm into the idea of tooling Orlund Surtova into a Cha focused class. Rogue (Scoundrel or Ruffian) springs to mind immediately, as I initially envisioned him as someone who looks dumber than he is, but I'd be happy to be a Bard, Thaumaturge or even a sorcerer. If you're looking for consistency, I've been part of a game for the better part of the last three years. I can't guarantee that I'll be capable of posting every day, but we're pretty close most of the time, with life occasionally getting in the way.
Sorry for really cutting it under the wire. Kind of incomplete in terms of crunch but here's my first concept more or less. I recognize there are quite a few fighter submissions and I'm quite happy to adjust to a different class. I just had a vision for this particular character in my mind, and there are a few different ways to get there, but Fighter was a pretty straightforward path in my head. Also I don't have a particular image in my head of who the fey that cursed him is. I wanted to try to leave it open so we could make some connections once we start playing. Orlund "The Fair" of House Surtova Backstory:
DECADES AGO... "Who are you?" Geldrin Surtova asked. He was trembling and sweating as he realized the gravity of his error. "Why do you ask? You know enough to be frightened" The waifish figure spoke in return. They were slender and graceful, and had a voice that was both as beautiful and terrible to listen to as the creature was to look upon. "Please," the young noble asked. "I meant no offense. You must understand I cannot simply invite every visitor into my home unannounced. Please," he begged again. "how can I make this Right? The last word hummed with power in the middle of the air. As if a golden thread had been pulled from his throat. "'OURS IS THE RIGHT' Is it not said in these halls?" the elfish creature intoned. "Y-yes, Y-your Grace. Those are our Words." Surtova replied. Again that thrum of power. "Then I shall take them as payment for the slight." The faerie gleamed like a Goddess as she collected the words from the petulant noble. "I-I don't understand." He admitted. "They are Mine now. When you speak them, they will be a curse upon you and your descendants. Fate will conspire around him to be sure he is never Right. But there is always hope. Do not allow your descendants to forget this meeting Surtova. Time has far less meaning to Us than it does you. When I return I expect the same hospitality that your ancestor once offered to me." The creature's eyes shone with light. Rays of sunbeams extruded as they spoke. But a chorus of voices came out as they did. YOUR CHILD WILL BE CURSED BY YOUR OWN ARROGANCE. AND IT WILL BE BY ARROGANCE UNDONE THAT HE WILL BE OFFERED GRACE. Geldrin Surtova felt his cheeks wet with tears from the beauty displayed before him. And with shame and fear. _________ Ever since he could remember, Orlund was some combination of absurdly lucky and unlucky.
But he was born terrible to look at. They called him fair to mock him. But he wears it proudly now. He finds it amusing that those that fancied themselves witty came up with such a dull insult. His mother and father had terrible arguments when they believed no one was listening. Others whispered that his parentage belonged to barbarians. They said his mother was a whore. Never in so vulgar of terms. But they said it all the same. By his estimation he'd broken nearly every bone in his body, and he was barely old enough to inherit a title. Yes it was hyperbole, but it was still a miracle he could continue to stand, he often thought to himself, much less campaign into the Stolen Lands. But it was his destiny he supposed. Someone that looked like him could not inherit the Surtova name. At least not without being undeniably worthy. His father made it very clear to him that he wasn't. Yet. How hard could it be? Just get a couple of country knights and hayseed rabble to follow him to glory... and the rest will be history. He wouldn't need a place in the courts of Brevoy. He'd have his own court soon enough. Quick Information:
Orlund "The Fair" Surtova Class: Fighter or Magus Planned Archetype: Curse Maelstrom or maybe Witch Dedication Background Brevic Outcast (Surtova) Concept A half-orc warrior with a noble mercenary bent. But is a vainglorious academic with spectacles. He aims to reclaim his birthright despite his cursed appearance. Fey Influence? I don't know yet. Also, I would prefer OOC chatter in discord. It was one of the things that made me interested in your game.
@Lithrac and @Kubular - those are all great concepts! If we end up playing together I'm happy to tie any of them into the campaign, so pick the one that you think you would enjoy playing the most. Well thanks for the vote of confidence! Should I leave it as is until the 24th or would you prefer to have everything dialed in by then? _____ Also @Dorian/Roots re: Fey Influence, I think that GM Eldest wanted to make that feat available, but not necessarily required. Obviously their call, but I think you're in the green there. I suppose it also bears clarification, but I think the free feat can be of any type as long as it is for relating to a fey/wild/primal connection.
I've got a couple of character ideas: Concept 1 - Bespectacled Half-orc:
I'm thinking I'll stay with my above concept and flesh it out in play. I think this noble may or may not have actual orc parentage/lineage, but a fey creature cursed him at birth for some insult or bargain his father made. Perhaps beastkin instead? It is a little more naturey/feylike, but I'm not really interested in having full control of the shapechange. I'm thinking either a Fighter with high Int or a Magus. Or a Rogue or Investigator. I just enjoy the image of a big burly Half-orc with spectacles and whatever class that is, I'll do. Maybe a champion of Gozreh or something. I think Magus, Fighter, or Rogue is the way, but I'm open. Perhaps a druid or sorcerer multiclass for the fey influences. Maybe the fey influence feat. I didn't see anything that particularly struck me in the feat, but maybe the Gremlin influence. Alternately, this guy could lean a bit more into his dumb brute appearance and be a goofy loveable idiot. Still wears glasses though.
______ Concept 2 - Cursed Beastkin:
Alternatively, as mentioned above, I could go a similar route with a cursed Beastkin, but I don't envision this character as vainglorious and intellectual. Instead a classic werewolf struggle leads him to venturing out into the wilderness to keep himself away from innocent civilized folk. This guy seems like a ranger. Pretty cut and dry. Maybe barbarian works. Maybe he "can't" turn to a human form like the beastkin standard and he's just stuck as a half-man half-beast. I don't really know if I'd like this one as much as its not as fun. The internal struggle has potential, but as it is right now its a little flat. I could definitely see this having a lot of room to attach to another character's story and drives.
_______ Concept 3 - House Garess Monk:
Thirdly, I'd be interested in exploring a House Garess character. A seventh son of a seventh son sort of character who has no shot at any meaningful inheritance and wants to strike it out on his own. The catch is that he's had to live with monks for most of his youth. Dwarven ones because of his House's ancestral ties to the Golushkin mountains. He'll talk a big game about "meditation" and "inner peace" and "mind-body unity". But until he finds what he Needs, he'll only Want to be celebrated for his skill and prowess. This character has legs in my mind. There's a whole potential arc and a big internal struggle that's uncharacteristically loud for a "monk". I think he'd rather wrassle a bear than try to calm it at his entry into the story, but he knows that he should try to be respectful to nature.
_______ Concept 4 - Reformed Cleric:
I don't have a lot of castery ideas at the moment, but I think that an ex-bandit Cleric of Erastil might strike my fancy. I like the idea of it in any case, but I don't have much more than that yet. I might end up mashing some of these ideas together but this is what I'm thinking about so far.
Gotcha, thanks for the clarification. I'll check back in today or tomorrow.
Something just occurred to me. I would like to use DM_aka_Dudemeister’s party origin tool, with The Green party origin as a starting point (except the origin story will be different). What does this mean exactly for party origin? If the party origin is as the Green Party listed above, will we all be coming from the same druidic circle? It feels a little bit far removed from the AP's backgrounds as is. I was initially thinking about playing a half-orc bastard noble of one of the noble houses, either going rogue, monk, magus or fighter. His primary backstory element would be that he is attempting to prove his worth to the nobility and claim a title (Brevic Noble or Brevic Outcast). Some minor roleplaying quirks would include a bit of vain intellectualism and spectacles. I guess I'm just asking how much we should expect the campaign to include the politics of Brevoy, and how much more should we focus on fey politics and the natural world?
I've been thinking a lot about moving from 1e to 2e since last year, but I haven't seen a group I'd be interested in. Around that time I joined a 1e campaign that I've had the most fun of any pbp I've ever had. I hope I'm pretty similar to you re: roleplay and colaborative storytelling. For a writing sample I'd direct you here and here. I have run the first two books of the AP all the way through and got part way through the third book in 1e, but now that I'm thinking about it, that was 10 years ago! Man the time flies. I've found that in general, character creation works best together, rather than by coming to the table with a fleshed-out character already. I'm fairly partial to monks and rogues, but I like stretching my creativity as well and am pretty open to complementing others in the party.
Here is the free version of the core rulebook.
Lancer is awesome. I love it so much. I'd be very down to join up.
Ahh man, I've just been geeking out over the rulebook the past couple days. I just got my backer copy the night of the 28th. They're supposed to be releasing the play materials (like the playbooks) pretty soon, hopefully by 3/8. I'm down for any era, but I'm a big softy for classic fantasy romps so Kyoshi Era sounds best to me. That or 100 year war era I think. How do you feel about doing the ooc over discord?
@Slowdrifter: I forgot to say, Venator is the most Chelaxian name ever, I love it. At the top of your stat block, there's a stat line that says AC 17 which is probably a holdover from a different draft of the character. Looking forward to the backstory as well. Glad you were able to grab the Disabled Device skill. By my count you have 60.5 lbs worth of gear and 33 lbs. light load capacity. Your combat gear is 22 lbs not counting the explorer's outfit. With the Explorer's outfit, you've got 30 lbs on you without anything else (Why is it 8 pounds?!). The Backpack brings you up to 32. So I guess you're dropping the backpack before every combat. I've always wished to see the Archaeologist in action, so I'm glad to see you running one. Didn't count your gold expenditure, but you might have more than you thought because I spotted some redundancies. You have "earplugs" listed twice, and "mirror" comes in as part of the Grooming Kit. A semi redundancy is that the Gear Maintenance kit has a sewing needle, but you've got 5 for reasons, so that seems like it was on purpose. Lots of nifty little pieces of gear. I've spent the cash for the mule though, so you can set some things down on the mule. I guess it probably won't make a difference since you have lots of little things to take down in dungeons and other encounters. Maybe Roger and Constantine can share the load? We'll see how it plays out anyway.
Yeah man, that sounds like an interesting angle. I mean, what am I saying, of course they're from the same orphanage! If this were a TV show, how could they not be! Seems like Constantine is CG, so he's made a complete rebellion against his guardians while [stillhaventthoughtofaname] stayed the course. I like the idea, but I want to make sure that they can work together. I imagine my character would resent and feel betrayed by someone who didn't graduate into service of the church with the way he would have been indoctrinated. But maybe that's fine to have simmering beneath the surface. As a Hell Knight armiger, he'd be one to want to put the mission first and bottle up his emotions.
@Ruin Explorer: bummerino, hope you're well.
I think I'm narrowed down to Inquisitor or Cleric. We might be okay ish on casting between a paladin and an Inquisitor. The main reason I want to go inquisitor now is for wis to social skills. The Asmodean inquisitor covers most of that, except for intimidate unfortunately, and is going to be less useful in melee. But! I can also go guided hand on the cleric to maintain relevancy. I thought about Warpriest, but it didn't quite fit the concept and we have so many potential melees, I didn't want to add one more since I can help it. I think after writing this I'm going to to go cleric. LN, because although I imagine this character as seeing themselves as altruistic, they know associating with Asmodeus means they will always be contributing some evil in the world, even if in their mind it's wholly necessary. Haven't decided much else other than that. Probably male, just because the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes tend to keep females on as Nuns and send the boys off to be hellknights.
I already mentioned this on the discord, but for visibility I'd like to say I'm thinking of making a Cleric or Warpriest of Asmodeus who was orphaned in the Goblinwood Wars and raised by an Asmodean orphanage in Isger. I was also looking at this class, the Omdura which is technically paizo, but it was created for a different campaign setting. I was also thinking about making a Monk or Fighter, both of whom would be particularly devout Asmodeus worshippers but otherwise nonmagical. I was also thinking about a sorcerer or some other charisma based casters, don't see why they couldn't be Asmodeus worshippers and would have the abilities to try to convert people. Oracle doesn't appeal to me as much for some reason though. This Asmodeus worshipper could be Evil, but definitely lawful. They would be able to use the church's doctrine to vent their hatred and anger, but would always be motivated to create order so others wouldn't have to suffer as they did. Could be evil, because they would strive for order at any cost.
I like that, everything sound good. Don't really have any objections. Stats seems like a happy middle ground. Skills, coolio, pretty standard. Alignment should never be a reason to be a dick to your friends, check. Traits, pretty standard. I would also say with Drawbacks, think about how you would deal with the drawback as a GM when making your character. If it has no bearing on the character or would make things unnecessarily difficult, maybe rethink it. Races, I'm not sure where I fall on this. On the one hand I completely agree with you dien, exotic races start to feel much less exotic when everybody's mother is an extra planar being. On the other, adventurers are weirdos. I mean even in a medieval fantasy setting, not a lot of people have cause to just... go out and kill things for money, instead of trying to make a living with their family. I think if people want to pick weird races, they recognize that most people are going to regard them with suspicion or outright hostility. Even if that doesn't have a mechanical bearing up front, it might affect fictional positioning in how society treats us (the party). So I guess I'm in agreement with dien in that I just want to say, be mindful of which races you're picking and what everyone else wants to do. Feat Taxes, Yeah I like the concept, but also I don't. Not only does it create extra work, but it also makes level 1 characters a lot more powerful. Level 1 adventurers are essentially idiots cosplaying as mercenaries and its more fun to play them that way. Starting gold, no problems here. HP, Full at level 1 pretty standard. Half rounded up also sounds good. I kiiiiiiiiinda want to do rolling for hp after that, but also I know I'm gonna die if I do that. On the Glass Cannon Podcast they have the GM roll and the player roll and take the better of the two. Not sure if we want to do that, as its also going to inflate our hp to about 3/4 HD per level. But it is fun to roll dice. Can't think of anything we're missing. I guess classes-wise, anything paizo is good? Let's get this ball rollin' some more. It's been a while so hopefully I did this right... Rollies:
=14 =14 =15 =9 =9 =13 Hey not too bad! dien's got a superhero up there, but I did okay too.
@Patrickthekid: Couple of things still: Not a mistake per se, but the math around pf2 assumes that each PC is at least optimized in its key ability. If you go with a +3 in Wisdom, things are going to be pretty hard for you. I'm not sure how true this is in practice, but I'm just going off of what I've heard/read because this is also my first time with 2e. Naderi's interesting, just wanted to build a character around this lesser known God instead of using a Shelyn or the like? Wow I just noticed she has a Harmful font. Spicy. Saves look good. Melee bonus looks good. Skills look good. HP looks good (I think I mistakenly said in my last post that you add your level as a bonus). AC is only 14 for some reason, pretty sure it should be 15. Spell DC for your cantrips is the same as for the rest of your spells. Its 16 since your wis is +3 and your proficency bonus is +3 (2+level). To be clear as well with spell list; your deity only adds its spells to your list, doesn't give you an extra slot to work with.
@Patrick: Did you use Pathbuilder? Makes character creation much easier, especially if you are new to the system. Unless you are going warpriest, going unarmored will actually give you 1 more AC, but judging by the Domain Initate feat, I might guess that you are running a Cloistered doctrine. Unarmored AC would be Trained, and you would be untrained in Armor. Calculation would be 3 (trained adds 2 + level) + 2 Dex = 15 AC unarmored. Armored AC untrained would be 0 (Untrained, do not add level) + 2 (Dex) = 14 AC. Looks like you just didn't realize that your proficiency bonus should be +3 instead of +2. Your dagger attack, perception bonus, HP, Saves and skills are missing that part. Am I correct in reading that you didn't put training into Medicine and Religion and you're just using wisdom? Also in 2e the saves are not based on spell level. You have a general class save DC which is your class' key ability (wisdom) + proficency. So all the DCs for your spells are 17, and any attack rolls you make with spells (for example, Divine Lance) are at +7 as well. Raised by Belief is a general Background from the Core Rulebook, but since we're using a player's guide, you can just pick one of the ones from there (Learned Guard Prodigy in your case). Can't use both. Anyway, 2e is quite different from 1st edition Pathfinder, so a lot of this is a lot easier to deal with through the pathbuilder app. I recommend giving it a try.
A good selection I read that in the voice of the Cave of Wonders. Looks like everyone that's ready is ready. I guess the investigator still hasn't come back and finished up his character. Not a lot of healers in this pool, but since we're doing free archetypes it might be a bit easier for someone (like meee) to pick up cleric or medic dedication healing. Probably should have altered my submission to not have so much overlap with the other melees at the table but oh well. I like Javor and I'd be happy to play him, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.
I've listened to both Feast of Ravenmoor and The Midnight Mirror on the Glass Cannon Podcast, so I'd be down to GM for those if we decide they are the next steps. The rest I haven't tried in any capacity so everything would be fresh for me. @Jace: I think Golarion is probably best just to keep things consistent between GMs. There's a bit of everything under the Golarion sun, so once its your turn to GM you can find something that fits your fancy. @Ruin Explorer: Welcome! You're not too late until dien calls it!
Re: 15 pb versus 20. I'm a big big fan of the monk class. I've almost exclusively played monks with what few chances I get to play ever since dnd 3.5e. I do not think they need a 15 pb to stay competitive. I would have said so on earlier editions, but Unchained Monks have a lot of options even with 15 point buy. That being said: I'm totally cool either way. I liked going with the default 15 point buy because it made balance a little easier for me as a GM and it gave me room to give my players broken items that were fun. We're playing in a module so there won't be as many powerful magic items flying around, but also the published stuff is generally made with a certain expectation of pc strength. I also know how fun it is to construct an optimized character while still integrating game decisions with narrative ones. And a 20 pb can go a long way with that. I think 20 pb seems to be the way of the majority here, which I'm on board with because then I get to make a cooler 1st level character! :)
Waiting a bit sounds good. For more in depth on me: I've only finished one pbp game out of about a dozen I've tried. They've all fizzled out for some reason or another. I've also ghosted more than once, but it feels like those might have been a decade ago and I like to think I'm a different person that wouldn't do that by now. For pbp, I've never GM'd as I mentioned earlier, and I'm the forever GM irl. Lately I've been getting interested in a bunch of other systems, including several PbtA games, and recently-ish was able to run a DCC game over two sessions. Although lately as I mentioned before, we haven't been playing ttrpgs in my group.
Huh, I would have thought the opposite as I've had a much easier time face to face with homebrew than published stuff. I guess pbp is a completely different beast.
So it looks like we're getting started now perhaps? Should we get the discord channel started to discuss and banter? I like rolling as well. Makes things more lethal often times (even with a high roll like 4d6) which just feels a little more old school, and a little more realistic to me. I'm good both ways though. I think Pathfinder assumes that you'll be optimizing your point buy so like I said before, we'll be a little weak as PCs.
After sifting through archetypes I'm not particularly attached to anything. Jalmeri Heavenseeker seems to be a slight spoiler (and maybe a little too strong?), and Edgewatch Detective is literally tailormade for this AP. Dandy or Vigilante seem like they'd be interesting for my character as a poitical scion, although Vigilante kind of has some problematic implications as a cop. Loremaster might also be interesting for a detective. I was looking at Bastion dedication earlier as an option to make my shield more useful, but I was hoping for some kind of ally protections earlier which is why I didn't factor it into my buildpath at first. Cleric might also be interesting as an interesting exploration of his adopted faith and traditions, but it also might be kind of cheesy. Just airing my thoughts. Feel free to give suggestions, criticisms or ignore me entirely. Also, monologue. I blame Chillblame for this. (More of a prologue actually, but whatever) Prologue: I’m a foreigner in my own city I thought as I paced the cobbles in the spattered rain. I scanned the grotesque display of wealth that surrounded my childhood. The Petals district was extravagant with its beautiful cobblestone streets, magical lamp posts of wrought iron, ostentatious houses and apartments with decorated walls and manicured gardens and lawns. I quickened my stride toward my destination, ignoring the overelaborate trimmings of this place. I composed myself when I could see it coming over the hill at Hippogriff road. I couldn’t read it from there, but I knew what it said. “FIRST GUARD” And in smaller letters beneath it read, “Absalom Petals District Department office” I pushed the heavy oaken door open, rain dripping from my cloak as I entered the large foyer. I’ve seen the dwarves carve their own homes, and they would have scoffed at the sheer amount of wasted space. I doffed my cloak and started taking it to the coat closet, but I was obstructed by Mr. Byrne. Byrne was the office’s butler and had thin grey hair, jowls like a turkey and eyes that looked like they could pop out of his wrinkly skull. Byrne had also grown plump in his years of service to the First Guard apparently. His capacity as a butler meant he likely never missed meals and rarely had to perform any grueling or dangerous labor. “I’ll have that put that away for you sir.” He said with a curt, professional smile, “No sense in having to trouble yourself.” He looked down a hallway at a young boy who probably should have been minding the coat check but was cleaning the wall and clicked his tongue at him. The boy nearly jumped and started to hurry over to Mr. Byrne. I interjected, “No need, I’d prefer to do it myself.” The butler replied adamantly, “Sir! I will not hear about it, this is our duty, you tend to yours.” I sighed, unwilling to argue the point further. I tipped the boy a gold piece quietly with a wink as I handed him the cloak. His eyes went wide. Was that too much? Too little? That was probably the cost of one banana, wasn’t it? I should probably learn how to manage money after today, it’s likely Father isn’t going to take this well. I start toward the labyrinthine hallways toward my end goal, but Mr. Byrne insists on escorting me. I supposed he took pride in his work, as evidenced by the offense he took when I suggested putting away my own cloak. He was otherwise amicable and helpful iin a way that the old me would never have appreciated, or even noticed. The hallways were richly appointed with a warm cherry mahogany floor, gold trimmings and crown moulding, paintings, ceramics, detailed maps of Golarion and other expensive objects to prove the distinction of the place. The Highstone Masters would have had several words to say about the display here, grotesque being tamest among them! We arrived at the door appointed with the sign “Capt. Erebus Brightlancer” in gold flowy lettering and blue paint. I was pretty sure that wasn’t his real name, and I was equally sure he made it up himself. Still, he was my captain for the time being, and I needed his help for the moment. Mr. Byrne knocked at the door for me and announced, “Erm, Mr. Javor Durrandon to see you, Captain Brightlancer.” If he felt ridiculous at all saying the name out loud, he was pretty good at hiding it. After a beat from the other side of the door I heard, “Let him in.” The inside of the Captain’s office was no less ostentatious than the rest of the building. Solid wood desk, books that he’d probably never read lined the shelves, a drink table with several crystal glasses, one of them used even though it was still midmorning. I knew he wasn’t working cases through the night. This wasn’t that sort of department, and the Captain wasn’t that sort of detective. “Durrandon,” Brightlancer spoke, facing the glass window behind his desk. He was holding a glass in one hand, whose contents I couldn’t see from the angle I was standing. Brightlancer looked like the sort of man you might expect to be in charge of a city guard. Square jaw, thick blonde hair, broad shouldered and muscular, but just aged enough to make him look distinguished. He spoke slowly, but I detected a slight slur in his elocution. He sighed, “What brings you to my office today?” “Sir, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have worked with the First Guard here-” “Cut that out.” He swatted in my direction with his free hand, “No pleasantries, why are you in my office this early?” He sounded tired. Maybe drunk. Probably both. I chose my words carefully, “Okay… with the upcoming Radiant Festival the Precipice Quarter is experiencing a revival. There’s been a call for a new unit and I wanted to ask for your recommendation.” He glanced over his shoulder at me, “Yeah? Why’s that? This job is going to set your career for life. Kid like youse…” he paused to compose himself, “A young man like you would only be here for a feather in your cap. What’s the prestige of going to the Precipice?” “I’m not here for the prestige.” I nearly growled, “I wanted to help people. I wanted to help the city. That’s why I joined the guard. With all due respect, working at a desk, however nice, wasn’t what I had in mind. And it’s made me realize… that I want- no- I need to progress based on my own merits, not on my Father’s name.” Brightlancer turned to look at me fully. He had a baffled look about his face as he scrutinized me. I noted his crystal glass was empty. He looked me in the eye for several more moments until he decided, “Do you really believe that?” I nodded. He ambled easily over to the drink table, but didn’t pour anything, then mulled over his next thought and said, “Your father won’t be happy.” “No. I don’t think so.” I replied. He grinned. I grinned back. But I quickly felt my brow furrow in concern, “You aren’t worried he’ll try to blame you? Retaliate?” “I’ve been playing the game for a while. I’ve got a favor or two lying about. Other patrons in my corner. He can’t come after me.” He remarked nonchalantly. “I don’t expect anything from you kid, just don’t lose faith.” He poured a drink. Then another and handed it to me. I smelled the smokey liquid. Dwarven whisky, I noted the oak and hickory. “Janderoff... ‘08? That was a brilliant year! when I was 15...” I trailed off, “Well I enjoyed it. But… perhaps I shouldn’t, I’m still on-” “Drink.” he grunted. I swirled the brown liquor in my glass as if contemplating it, then did as he bade. Doubtless I shouldn’t have consumed it. Then again, it would have been impolite not to, and Captain Brightlancer proved himself a competent ally after I’d misjudged him as a bit of a cad. Brightlancer raised his glass in a toast and imbibed the potent spirit, “Congratulations Durrandon. You’re the next recruit for Edgewatch.”
Haha, yeah. I felt like I should host a pbp because my gaming group would rather play board games than ttrpgs lately, but rotating gms is a much better idea. If you're open to it, we might even want to have shorter scenarios per GM to rotate through. I like using discord for coordinating chatter and banter. I think the instant messaging communication feels a little closer to the real thing and fosters communication between players. I'm partial to roll20 but I am totally cool with just using slides/pictures for maps and whatnot. I'm not sure if I have any other particular traits that would make me a great fit. I just find that the "conventional" recruitment method of recruiting players by character submission to be at odds with how the game is normally played. I wonder if that's a contributing factor to pbp attrition (aside from how easy it is to just ghost your group)
Stat Block:
_______________________ LG | Medium | Human | Versatile Heritage | Humanoid Perception +5; Languages Common, Dwarven Skills Acrobatics +3, Athletics +7, Diplomacy +4, Lore: Legal +3, Lore: Absalom +3, Lore: Guard +3, Medicine +5, Survival +5 Str +4, Dex +0, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +1 Items Unarmored, Backpack, Baton, Chalk (10), Clothing (Ordinary), Cookware, Crowbar, Handcuffs (2) Healer's Tools, Torch, Climbing Kit, Steel Shield (Hardness 5, HP 20, BT 10), Shiny shiny badge __________________________ AC 15 (+19 w/ Mountain Stance, +21 w/ both shield and Mountain Stance), Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +7 HP 20 __________________________ Speed 25 feet Melee Special Unarmed Falling Stone +7 (Forceful, Nonlethal, Unarmed), Damage 1d8+4 (B) Melee Clan Dagger +7 (Agile, Dwarf, Parry, Uncommon, Versatile B), Damage 1d4+4 (P) Mountain Stance (Stance) Requirements You are unarmored and touching the ground. You enter the stance of an implacable mountain—a technique first discovered by dwarven monks—allowing you to strike with the weight of an avalanche. The only Strikes you can make are falling stone unarmed attacks. These deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage; are in the brawling group; and have the forceful, nonlethal, and unarmed traits. While in Mountain Stance, you gain a +4 item bonus to AC and a +2 circumstance bonus to any defenses against being Shoved or Tripped. You have a Dexterity modifier cap to your AC of +0, meaning you don’t add your Dexterity to your AC, and your Speeds are all reduced by 5 feet. The item bonus to AC from Mountain Stance is cumulative with armor potency runes on your explorer’s clothing, mage armor, and bracers of armor. Flurry of Blows (Flourish, Monk) Make two unarmed Strikes. If both hit the same creature, combine their damage for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to the Strikes normally. As it has the flourish trait, you can use Flurry of Blows only once per turn. Additional Feats Adopted Ancestry, Hobnobber, Unburdened Iron Additional Specials Adopted Ancestry (Dwarf), Powerful Fist Background Political Scion _______________________________
Backstory:
"My name is Javor Durrandon. Six years ago I was left for dead in the wilderness by thugs. I was saved by the dwarves of the Highstone clan who taught me their ways. Now I've returned to Absalom and I can no longer ignore the injustices that happen here. I've joined the City Guard to start my path to saving the city, much to the displeasure of my father." As the heir to the Durrandon tin fortune, Javor's disappearance and subsequent return had caused quite a stir in the gossippy apartments of the Petal District. Tylan (the Durrandon patriarch) was relieved and angry to find his son not only alive, but in incredible health. He was even more upset when he found out his son wanted to join the guard. Still attempting to salvage that disastrous career move, he set Javor up with the highly First Guard in an administrative position. Unwilling to exploit his high status above the common folk of the city, Javor moved to a lowly assignment with the newly formed unit of Edgewatch. Furious, his father cut him off from his wealth, which stings a bit, but he's learned to manage without fruit tarts and caviar. The nobles he used to accompany remember him as a spoiled playboy with a cushy career ahead of him and are shocked at the aescetic monk he has become. Growing his beard and murmuring his odd devotions. Spending time with the peasants and the dwarves. "He's all but become a vagrant," they say. "Oh poor Tylan, his firstborn heir has become a bit touched in the head hasn't he?" Javor's desire his to fix the rot in the city, starting with himself and now the guard. But a sip of elven vintage here and a taste of jalmerian cocoa there can't be all bad, can it? Just a taste, that's all. And it would be impolite not to drink in the company of fine dwarves. He definitely won't let himself get out of control.
Flaw:
Just a taste: Javor has a bad habit of overindulging that might be open to exploitation after having repressed it for so long.
______________________ @Ingra Redhand: I didn't think I should clutter up the joint just to say "ahh I see." SO I waited until I had a character ready to say, Ahh I see. Magus is a really cool looking class. I was thinking it would be cool to run one in this AP to be an intelligence based character who can mix it up in melee. @Elbowtotheface: Haha, I was thinking of almost making the same character as you (even the same background) but I kept feeling like I was trying to force it narratively. After I saw your orc, I gave up and went a different direction. I also have a more dex-based Token Ex-Con monk in my back pocket which may fit better as there are a few bruisers in this thread. I also had a Lotus Guard rogue I was working on if that's more interesting. I've been thinking about playing a cleric of Sarenrae which might be interesting opposite Rahotep.
Thanks! Yeah they get the speed bonus starting at 3rd level. I like having the nonlethal option available and I would probably look for grappling options in the future. I was thinking about going mountain stance, though which would reduce mobility. I could do wolf or tiger stance instead for better pursuit.
Hi all! I've been away from the boards for a long while. I've found some more time to play Pathfinder again but I still haven't given 2e a shot yet. My favorite class has been monk since I first started playing 3.5 dnd and I'm considering how well it might fit in to this AP. My first thought was to make a gentle giant type character who can wrassle beasts to the ground, but is otherwise jovial, patient and wise. I was thinking about the Sleepless Suns Stars background, but I also want to keep backgrounds different. I'm also thinking about making him an orc, just because it feels like more fun to play a character who looks big and scary but is actually a big softy. Thinking about Harbor Guard Moonlighter. Grizzled Muckrucker is a more interesting background to me, but it would change the character a lot. Alternatively, I might want to play a Champion or Fighter with one of those two backgrounds.
I have the rulebook. I've been flipping through interesting bits almost all the time. I think codenames are rad. I think our individual themes might help decide who knows what, but I think for the most part, crew members are likely to know each other's dual identities. I'm thinking about what our crew dynamic should look like. I don't have time tonight because I'm selling flowers in the morning, but we should try to come up with crew themes right?
So if you were to put a label on it, Myriad is sort of the Mythos of Fantasy Adventure? Go anywhere and be anyone. I like it. Azrael is a neat concept. Are you thinking of running anywhere with the Hebrew mythology of that? I think I want to tie Leighton Wise a little closer to Golem mythology. He's still an Android functionally, but a Golem needs a purpose, usually to protect. I think the identity of his creator should be shrouded in conspiracy. Maybe it doesn't even matter? I think it would be more neat if the reason he couldn't discover his own identity earlier was because of the mist. He looks human enough, even his blood, but he's made from dense prosthetic parts and a false biology. He can eat and sleep, but he no longer requires it. Acting more like a human grounds him in reality, using his full capabilities makes him more powerful as an AI. I'm kind of thinking that Wise looks more like a Touched class Rift something like this. I changed a few things. Mythos: BASTION (Android Physiology) - Mystery: "Who made me and why?"
Logos:
DEFINING RELATIONSHIP (Homicide Squad) - Identity: "I defend this city from monsters."
DEFINING EVENT (First Contact) - Identity: "I know what lies beyond the Mist."
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